A leper came to him, begging on his knees, “If you want to, you can cleanse me.” Deeply moved, Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, “I want to. Be clean.” Then and there the leprosy was gone, his skin smooth and healthy. Jesus dismissed him with strict orders: “Say nothing to anyone. Take the offering for cleansing that Moses prescribed and present yourself to the priest. This will validate your healing to the people.” But as soon as the man was out of earshot, he told everyone he met what had happened, spreading the news all over town. So Jesus kept to out-of-the-way places, no longer able to move freely in and out of the city. But people found him, and came from all over (Mark 1:40-45, The Message).

A man with leprosy approached Jesus and begged to be healed. He was desperate, in pain, and shunned by society. Meanwhile, the people around Jesus pulled back in fear and revulsion. They did not want to be close to the diseased man and they certainly did not want to catch leprosy. They harbored the thought that this man must have done something wrong, some sort of heinous sin, to deserve this fate.

Jesus, however, responded differently. Moved by compassion, Jesus reached out and touched the leper! No one touched a leper, but Jesus did. How long since this man had experienced human touch? How long since someone looked at him with anything besides fear and disgust before quickly slipping away?

Picture this scene. When Jesus touched this man, it probably was not just a poke. Jesus reached out, gently held the pus-filled sores and made the man whole. Imagine what it felt like for the leper as his body was knit back together. Could he feel the sickness leaving? Did it hurt? Itch? Did it happen in an instant or in a few minutes? Did Jesus smile as he touched this man? Or did Jesus laugh as he watched surprise and joy spread across the man’s face?

The leper, now whole and overjoyed, completely disobeyed Jesus’ instructions to keep this incident quiet. He told everyone about the touch of Jesus. Don’t you love that part of the story? It was too astounding to keep to himself. This story is told to us in just a few lines, but the leper told his story to all who would listen for the rest of his life. Such are those who’ve experienced the touch of Jesus. As we go to the world, we take the touch of Jesus with us. We go to people desperate for care and compassion. Jesus described the lost, and we were once lost, as “sheep without a shepherd.” Shouldn’t we be involved in bringing people the touch of Jesus, to introduce them to the good shepherd?

Have you experienced the touch of Jesus in your life? How have you seen Jesus as your shepherd? Where can you go and help introduce a lost world to the touch of Jesus? As you consider these questions, pray for courage to follow wherever the Lord may lead.